The invention relates to the packaging of articles, particularly irregularly shaped articles flowable granules or liquids, and in particular but not exclusively frozen carcass meat intended for shipping overseas. The method or methods of the invention may be incorporated into fully automated packing lines.
Currently the shipping of irregularly shaped articles, such as frozen carcasses, creates problems in the efficient utilization of space in shipping containers. Currently there is an excessive amount of manual handling required during loading and unloading procedures, particularly during unloading from storage containers at a destination. The articles are stored in containers in loose condition and therefore must be manually removed from the container.
Containerized transport of meat carcasses usually requires special cellular container ships to be used and excludes non-container vessels from carrying meat for export. Also, as container vessels can only be loaded or unloaded at ports with special container terminals and facilities, containerized meat cannot be exported from smaller non-container ports. This may increase transport costs where the meat processing plant is located distant from a container port and the containers must be transported by rail or road to the port. Another disadvantage with containerized transport of meat carcasses is that the loading and unloading of the carcasses individually into the containers is labor intensive.
The invention is also useful in the packaging of flowable granules such as plastic granules, cereals or liquids as well as for baling of waste materials with only minor modification to the construction of the system being required.
Materials of all kinds including industrial commercial and domestic waste materials are currently handled in a variety of ways including bags which are relatively expensive if they are to be subject to exposure to liquids and/or compacting of the contents. This is also the case in relation to Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs).
This also applies to flowable granule like materials such as plastic, cereals or fertilizer which are normally packed in IBCs.
It is one object of the invention to reduce packaging costs in such a situation.
The present invention has as a principal objective the provision of a method and apparatus for unitizing and packaging or palletizing and packaging articles, particularly irregularly shaped articles, such as frozen animal carcasses, for shipment whereby wastage of space and excessive handling time is minimized and the proven load handling advantages of palletization can be fully realized.